LIFE gives a review on the implementation project of GBV, FGM, and Maternal Morbidity
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LIFE gives a review on the implementation project of GBV, FGM, and Maternal Morbidity
By Naomi Onome
LIFE’s mission to empower the girl child and other vulnerable females by sensitization on gender-based violence (GBV), female genital mutilation (FGM), and maternal morbidity has yielded a considerably successful outcome in the last 32 months of the project. The NGO’s recount of projects handled speaks of progressive development with a wide range of outreach to communities in the rural and urban areas of Lagos State.
While speaking to journalists in Lagos, LIFE Program Officer Toyin Mokwe noted extensively that the organization is centered on amplifying the voice of females by empowering the girl child and other vulnerable females on issues of gender-based violence, human rights, leadership skills, and economic empowerment. These strategies, she says, are delivered through advocacy, sensitization, innovative awareness, and research.
In review of the project, Toyin stated that LIFE has worked on issues around female genital mutilation (FGM), gender-based violence (GBV) which lasted for 32 months, and reducing the maternal mobility rate caused by unsafe abortion. She also stated that, due to the limited information and lack of knowledge in the society on knowing one’s right to justice, especially in the remote communities, LIFE created sensitization programs that revolved around understanding the concept of GBV and its binding laws.
Citing an example of societal approach to situations of GBV, Toyin gave an account of an issue arising from a woman badly beaten by her husband and how the law enforcement agency maligned her reports; she was also alienated by the society until LIFE advocates stepped into the situation to seek justice, a typical example of inadequate information on ‘Know your rights for justice’ and ‘Do not die in silence.’
Still in the review of sensitization projects on maternal morbidity, Toyin said research shows that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of unsafe abortions in the world, with unwanted pregnancies as the root cause. She says a doctor once mentioned that over 200 cases of organ damage due to unsafe abortion are recorded yearly. Moreover, during specific sensitization programs for youths on unsafe abortion, an attendee once attested to being in collaboration with her other female colleagues at the JSS level to provide a pregnant friend with concoctions to terminate a pregnancy, which ended badly as the victim ended up losing her womb.
Also speaking on sensitization on maternal morbidity caused by unsafe abortions, the managing director of LIFE, Abiodun Rufus-Unegbu, affirms the organization has been able to reach a large audience on issues arising from unsafe abortions leading to maternal morbidity by sensitization programs, thereby giving comprehensive analysis on sexuality education. The sensitization, she says, also encourages that parents should be friends with their children to enable healthy discussions on sex and should shun religious and sentimental ways of treating a sexually active child but instead teach them to stay faithful to a partner and prevent self by using medically recommended preventive measures to avoid unwanted pregnancies leading to unsafe abortions.
Abiodun said the teenagers need to be educated on the menstrual cycle and how sexual activities can lead to unwanted pregnancies. Peer pressure, she says, can be a big factor in shaping a child’s mentality; hence, the needed guidance of the parents through open discussions. There is a need to strike a balance between being too hard or soft with the children; if the parents do not educate their teenagers, the internet will, and what the internet teaches might not align with their family values. The youths and teenagers make irrational decisions; hence, the need for continuous sensitization to make informed decisions, she noted.
In her review of GBV, Abiodun Rufus-Unegbu revealed that LIFE has led sensitization to the grassroots over the years with testimonies of improved outcomes in GBV cases. She said the organization is presently working with several support groups at the grassroots level and has advanced to creating measures to support the mental well-being of survivors of GBV during and after crisis. The crisis care coordinator, Laura Moore, she says, is in charge of the psychosocial support for vulnerable survivors to help them cope mentally while awaiting justice.
Abiodun stated that LIFE is deeply rooted in communities, which include Isolo, Ejigbo, and Oshodi. In addition, she said,
“The justice system in Nigeria is favorable to a few people; hence, LIFE’s initiative to breach the gap by helping vulnerable survivors get justice. While a survivor awaits justice, psychosocial support is provided through the crisis management team of LIFE, solely dedicated to enabling survivors to share their issues to ease their minds; a room with calming facilities has been established to that effect.”
Laura Moore, the crisis care coordinator, also emphasized the significance of the sensitization projects on GBV and maternal morbidity due to unsafe abortions carried out by LIFE. She said psychosocial support is paramount to help survivors heal mentally after a traumatic experience. In addition , Laura stated that the cooling-off room was created by LIFE to accommodate vulnerable women and has yielded positive impacts so far; she revealed she’s readily available to work with survivors from far and near in Nigeria.
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